For the record game Minecraft, Microsoft is planning to introduce a marketplace with a new currency, the Minecraft Coins.
In this marketplace, developers can sell their creations and adventures to other players for the first time. The extra content is then paid for with the newly created Minecraft Coins.
The prices for the content are set by the developers themselves and should range from 1$ to 10$. Microsoft, as Minecraft operator, will withhold an app store fee of around 30% from this, the rest should largely go to the developers.
The Marketplace is available in the Pocket & Windows 10 version for Windows, iOS and Android. He can also be reached via Apple TV, Oculus Rift and Amazon's Kindle Fire. The console version is empty for now.
The date for the public beta on Android devices is planned for mid-April.
The Minecraft Marketplace is supposed to offer quality
In order to guarantee the quality of the content in the new Minecraft Marketplace, Microsoft requires certain requirements. The developers must be included in a newly established partner program. Only nine developer groups will be allowed to start. These include the groups best known in the community:
Noxcrew, BlockWorks, Qwertyuiop The Pie, Blockception, Sphax, Eneija, Imagiverse, Polymaps and Razzleberry Fox.
In 2014 Microsoft bought the developer Mojang including the rights to Minecraft for 2.5 billion $. Minecraft has to be a lucrative business for Microsoft. The game has sold at least 121 million times since the 2011 release. Approximately 55 million players are active every month. Since the proportion of younger players who do not have their own credit card is very high, the new system naturally makes a lot of sense. Just as mobile games prove, the market potential is gigantic.
Opportunity for developers
Nevertheless, players should also benefit from the new marketplace. Since the previous hobby developers of content are now being rewarded accordingly, this could develop into a career for some. This naturally results in a higher quality and quantity of additional content.
It wouldn't be the first time in the gaming industry that someone has made such a leap. For example, the creator of the AMA 2 mod "Battle Royal", known as PLAYERUNKWON, is now a big name in the industry. Due to the popularity of his mod, he only worked on the title "H1Z1" and is now developing his own game in the form of "PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS".
